QuirkMaps
Category

Voting & elections

How states run elections: what voters need at the polls, registration, and ballots.

States run their own elections within limits set by the U.S. Constitution and federal law, so what a voter is asked for at the polls, how registration works, and how ballots are cast differ from state to state. These maps describe each state's rules as written in its election code and explained by its election office, without judging them.

Do you need an ID to vote?

10 Photo ID required14 Photo ID requested11 ID required, non-photo accepted15 No ID document required

The most common answer is “No ID document required”, in 15 states. What state law requires a registered voter to show to vote in person, at the polls on Election Day or during early in-person voting. ID to register, proof of citizenship, ID for mail or absentee ballots, and the federal rule for first-time voters who registered by mail are excluded from the answer and noted in details when they matter.

Explainers: How voter ID rules developed · The federal floor: one narrow ID rule · What counts as ID · When a voter has no ID at the polls · Changes since 2025 and the November 3, 2026 ballot · Mail and absentee ballots

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